Architectural templet

ABSTRACT

An architectural templet comprises a dimensionally stable, full size fabric sheet removably securable to a structural substrate in fixed relationship with architectural reference lines. The sheet includes marking guides, preferably grommeted openings, at selected layout positions. A marker, such as a stamp inserted through the openings and aligned by a keyway in the grommet, prints a geometric or symbolic pattern on the substrate in exact positional and angular orientation with the reference lines.

United States Patent [191 LaMar June 18, 1974 ARCHITECTURAL TEMPLET [76] Inventor: Robert W. LaMar, 20704 Arminta St., Canoga Park, Calif. 91306 [22] Filed: May 25, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 256,745

[52] US. Cl. 33/174 G, 33/l84.6 [51] Int. Cl B4lk 3/62 [58] Field of Search 33/174 B, 174 G, 174 J,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1950 Vanderbrook 33/174 B 1,529,411 3/1925 Koewing 33/12 2,065,734 12/1936 Pierson 33/5 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 209,174 6/1940 Switzerland 33/184.6

Primary Examiner-Robert B. Hull Assistant Examiner-Richard R. Stearns Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Flam & Flam [57] ABSTRACT An architectural templet comprises a dimensionally stable, full size fabric sheet remo'vably securable to a structural substrate in fixed relationship with architectural reference lines. The sheet includes marking guides, preferably grommeted openings, at selected layout positions. A marker, such as a stamp inserted through the openings and aligned by a keyway in the grommet, prints a geometric or symbolic pattern on the substrate in exact positional and angular orientation with the reference lines.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures ARCHITECTURAL TEMPLET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a full size architectural templet and to techniques for using the templet in the layout of multiunit structures.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the construction of multiunit structures such as motels, apartment houses or office buildings, the positions of all interior walls, doors, utility connections etc must be layed out separately for each unit. Typically a workman, referring to building blueprints, measures from certain center lines to each desired wall intersection, door swing, plumbing connection or the like and appropriately marks the structural surface. The work is tedious and time consuming. The problem is com pounded when many units are identical or of mirror image. After laying out several like apartments or offices, the workmen tend to get lax, and errors are not uncommon. As a result, what were intended as identical units in fact may differ substantially. This adds significantly to construction cost, since all cabinetry and finish work must be custom fitted to the individual room. By contrast, if each unit were laid out exactly to plan, cabinetry and fixtures could be prefabricated and installed with little on-site modification, yielding considerable cost saving.

In many jobs the layout problem is two-fold. Initially a wooden deck is marked out for utility lines such as water and drain pipes, electrical and telephone conduits and possibly heating or air conditioning ducts. After installation of these items, concrete is poured over the deck embedding the utilities. The wall, door and cabinet locations then are marked out in a second operation over this concrete floor. The chances for error are increased, since the utility lines must terminate at preset locations conforming to electrical, plumbing and heating outlets in the finished room.

One object of the present invention is to provide apparatus and techniques which facilitate fast, accurate, reproduceable layout of multiunit and other structures, and which eliminate the need for custom layout of each unit. Another object is to provide means useful for layout at both the utility level and the room formation level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing full sized architectural templets useful for on-site utility and structural layout. Each templet comprises a dimensionally stable fabric sheet which is removably securable to a substrate in fixed relationship with architectural reference lines. Fixed in each sheet is a set of marking guides at positions corresponding to the desired location of structural or utility items. Preferably each marking guide comprises an opening bordered by a grommet. A marker such as a stamp is inserted through the grommeted opening to print a mark on the substrate indicating by symbol or color code the located item. By using a keyed stamp and grommet, the resultant mark may be angularly oriented with respect to the reference lines. Thus the printed symbol may include a cruciform or other geo metric pattern simplifying the subsequent provision of straight lines between adjacent marks. The templet may be held in place by lumber sections available at most constructions sites.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A detailed description of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate like elements in the several figures, which are not to scale.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a building floor showing use of the inventive architectural templet to lay out identical units.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner of the architectural templet of FIG. 1, showing means for removably securing the templet during use.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a grommeted opening used in the templet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows pictorially various markers useful with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the floor surface of FIG. 1, as marked with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of another templet in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention best is defined by the appended claims.

Structural and operational characteristics attributed to forms of the invention first described also shall be attributed to forms later described, unless such characteristics obviously are inapplicable or unless specific exception is made.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the inventive architectural templet 10 is positioned on a structural surface 11 such as the concrete floor of a multiunit building under construction. The templet 10 is full size, covering the floor area of an entire room or office, and comprises a sheet 12 of dimensionally stable material such as nylon or Dacron.

In use, the templet 10 is removably secured to the surface 11 in alignment with certain architectural reference lines 13. For this purpose, each corner of the templet 10 may be provided with a rectangular opening 14 bordered by relatively rigid plastic or metal insert 15 bonded to the sheet 12. The openings 14 engage blocks of lumber 16 or other material fastened to the floor 11 along the reference lines 13. The lumber 16 may comprise two-by-four blocks nailed to the substrate 11.

A set of marking guides 18 are providing in the templet 10 at positions corresponding to the desired locations of architectural items. For example, the guides 18a may locate the door to a room, the guides 18b may locate an interior wall, the guides may define the wall of a bathroom, and so forth.

Preferably each guide 18 comprises an opening 19 surrounded by relatively rigid plastic or metal grommet 20 attached to the sheet 12. The grommet 20 functions as a guide for a marker such as one of the stamps 21 shown in FIG. 4. Each stamp 21 includes a shaft or handle 22 having at the end a raised "pattern 23 of rubber or like material. The pattern 23 is linked, as from a conventional ink pad (not shown), and the stamp 21 inserted through the opening 19 to mark the building surface 11.

The pattern 23 may be of any alphabetic, symbolic or geometric design, as illustrated respectively by the stamps 21a, 21b, 21c of FIG. 4. By providing the grommet 20 with a keyway 24 cooperating with a key 25 on the stamp 21, the pattern stamped on the surface 11 will have a certain angular orientation with respect to the reference lines 13. This is particularly useful for wall layouts. By using a pattern 230 of cruciform shape, the resultant mark 26 (FIG. assists accurate production of interconnecting lines 27 on the floor 11. For example, the uninked cruciform elements 26a readily serve as a guide for a chalk line (not shown) used to mark the lines 27 along desired wall locations.

Appropriate orientation of the keyway 24, the key 25 and the pattern 23c will insure that the cruciform elements 26a are stamped parallel or perpendicular to the reference lines 13. Of course, other markers 21 may have geometric pattern with elements aligned at different preselected angles with respect to the reference lines 13.

Additional information may be printed on the templet 10. For example, lines 30 may indicate where the wall lines 27 are to be chalked. Other indicia 31 may indicate that the corresponding guides 18d locate utility outlets. The indicia 31 may inform the workman to use a stamp 21a containing the letter P" or a stamp 21b symbolically indicating that plumbing is to be installed. Other marker 21 symbols may designate utilities such as heating, air conditioning or electricity, or indicate that doors, closets, windows, etc are to be installed. The stamp marks may be color coded for different functions, with the corresponding color printed on the templet as an aid to the workman.

For improved dimensional stability, the sheet 12 may have an embedded scrim 32 (FIG. 3) of Dacron, fiberglass or other material which will not stretch and which has a low temperature coefficient. Of course, such a scrim 32 is not required if the fabric sheet 12 itself is sufficiently dimensionally stable.

When marks 26 have been made at each guide 18 position, the templet 10 is removed from the blocks 16 at the unit 11b and the lines 27 are chalked in to produce a floor pattern such as that shown in FIG. 1 for the unit 11a. The templet 10 then may be moved to the next unit 110 and the process repeated. In this regard, the same blocks 16 used to retain one edge of the templet 10 when the unit 11b was laid out may be used to retain the opposite edge of the templet 10 when the adjacent unit 110 is laid out. Moreover, by turning the templet 10 upside down a mirror image unit may be laid out.

In buildings wherein utilities are installed on a deck and subsequently embedded in a layer of concrete forming a floor, the present invention may be used to lay out both the utilities and the room structural members. Thus a first templet 10a (FIG. 6) is positioned on the deck and used to spot conduits, pipes etc. To this end, there may be printed next to each marker guide 18 a symbol 33 indicating which marker 21 is to be used. Subsequently, a different templet 10 is used for layout atop the concrete floor.

A spring loaded or other type of impact tool (not shown) may be used to insert the stamps 21 through the guides 18 to produce the marks 26.

Intending to claim all novel, useful and unobvious features shown or described, the applicant claims:

1. For use in the layout of an architectural structure having replicated rooms for human occupancy, the combination therewith of:

a templet of at least room size comprising a reusable, dimensionally stable cloth or synthetic fabric sheet having a size commensurate with the area of said structure to be laid out, and a set of marking guides fixed in said sheet at positions corresponding to where architectural items are to be located on said structure,

attachment means for removably securing said sheet to said structure in contact with a surface thereof and in alignment with certain reference lines thereon, said attachment means including cooperating components at least one of which is independently securable to said architectural surface, and

marker means engageably insertable through said guides for accurately marking on said surface the location of said items.

2. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said guides comprise grommets bordering openings through said sheet, and wherein said marker means comprises a stamp insertable through said grommets.

3. A templet according to claim 2 wherein certain of said grommets include alignment keyways, and wherein said stamp is configured for keyway aligned insertion through said grommet, the mark made by stamp thereby having a fixed orientation with respect to said reference lines.

4. A templet according to claim 3 wherein said stamp includes a symbolic marking pattern.

5. A templet according to claim 4 and having thereon indicia designating which stamp is to be inserted through certain guides.

6. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said marker means produces color coded marks.

7. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said fabric comprises a synthetic material having an embedded scrim for improved dimensional stability.

8. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said cooperating components comprise blocks of lumber fastened to said surface, and openings in said sheet capable of engaging said blocks of lumber.

9. A templet according to claim 1 and adapted to be utilized with either side up, the layout produced with one side up being the mirror image of that produced with the other side up.

10. A process for laying out an architectural structure having replicated rooms for human occupancy, comprising the steps of:

independently securing to a surface of said structure components for removable attachment of a templet sheet,

attaching a templet sheet to said secured components, said sheet being attached in contact with a surface of said structure and in alignment with reference lines on said surface, said templet sheet comprising a reusable, dimensionally stable cloth or synthetic fabric sheet having a size commensurate with the area of a room to be laid out on said structure, having a set of marking guides fixed in said sheet at positions corresponding to where architectural items are to be located on said structure, and having attachment means cooperating with said components for removably attaching said sheet to said secured components, and

.engageably inserting marker means through said guides to mark said surface at positions, established by said marking guides, where architectural items are to be located.

11. The process of claim 11 wherein the step of inserting the marker means through said guides further includes using automatic tool means for impacting said marker means against said surface.

12. A process according to claim wherein said components consist of lumber blocks, wherein said templet attachment means consists of lumber block receiving openings adjacent corners of said sheet, wherein said securing comprises fastening said blocks ing certain of said oriented geometric patterns. 

1. For use in the layout of an architectural structure having replicated rooms for human occupancy, the combination therewith of: a templet of at least room size comprising a reusable, dimensionally stable cloth or synthetic fabric sheet having a size commensurate with the area of said structure to be laid out, and a set of marking guides fixed in said sheet at positions corresponding to where architectural items are to be located on said structure, attachment means for removably securing said sheet to said structure in contact with a surface thereof and in alignment with certain reference lines thereon, said attachment means including cooperating components at least one of which is independently securable to said architectural surface, and marker means engageably insertable through said guides for accurately marking on said surface the location of said items.
 2. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said guides comprise grommEts bordering openings through said sheet, and wherein said marker means comprises a stamp insertable through said grommets.
 3. A templet according to claim 2 wherein certain of said grommets include alignment keyways, and wherein said stamp is configured for keyway aligned insertion through said grommet, the mark made by stamp thereby having a fixed orientation with respect to said reference lines.
 4. A templet according to claim 3 wherein said stamp includes a symbolic marking pattern.
 5. A templet according to claim 4 and having thereon indicia designating which stamp is to be inserted through certain guides.
 6. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said marker means produces color coded marks.
 7. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said fabric comprises a synthetic material having an embedded scrim for improved dimensional stability.
 8. A templet according to claim 1 wherein said cooperating components comprise blocks of lumber fastened to said surface, and openings in said sheet capable of engaging said blocks of lumber.
 9. A templet according to claim 1 and adapted to be utilized with either side up, the layout produced with one side up being the mirror image of that produced with the other side up.
 10. A process for laying out an architectural structure having replicated rooms for human occupancy, comprising the steps of: independently securing to a surface of said structure components for removable attachment of a templet sheet, attaching a templet sheet to said secured components, said sheet being attached in contact with a surface of said structure and in alignment with reference lines on said surface, said templet sheet comprising a reusable, dimensionally stable cloth or synthetic fabric sheet having a size commensurate with the area of a room to be laid out on said structure, having a set of marking guides fixed in said sheet at positions corresponding to where architectural items are to be located on said structure, and having attachment means cooperating with said components for removably attaching said sheet to said secured components, and engageably inserting marker means through said guides to mark said surface at positions, established by said marking guides, where architectural items are to be located.
 11. The process of claim 11 wherein the step of inserting the marker means through said guides further includes using automatic tool means for impacting said marker means against said surface.
 12. A process according to claim 10 wherein said components consist of lumber blocks, wherein said templet attachment means consists of lumber block receiving openings adjacent corners of said sheet, wherein said securing comprises fastening said blocks of lumber to said surface in alignment with said reference lines, and wherein said attaching comprises placing said sheet on said surface with said block receiving openings engaging said fastened lumber blocks.
 13. A process according to claim 10 wherein said guides and said marker means cooperate to orient the resultant marks at certain angles with respect to said reference lines, and comprising the further steps of: removing said sheet after all marks have been made, some of said marks comprising oriented geometric patterns, and providing straight lines on said surface interconnecting certain of said oriented geometric patterns. 